Batman
by Cere
Summary: Batman faces an enemy from the past...and it's not the one you think!
1. Part I

**Batman: Part I**  
**By Cere**

"What are you doing?" Wayne asked.

Terry jerked up in his seat in front of the Batcomputer. _Several decades past his prime and he still knows how to sneak around unnoticed,_ he thought. "Just surfing around the Net," he answered.

Wayne grumbled. "The Batcomputer shouldn't be used for 'just surfing around'," he said.

Terry got out of the chair and let Wayne sit down. "How did the meeting with the stockholders go?" Terry asked.

More grumbling. "I think I'm losing my touch," Wayne commented.

Terry shrugged. "No one can stay young forever," he offered.

Wayne made more low unintelligible noises. _He's really in a bad mood tonight,_ Terry thought. He examined Wayne's face, as he sometimes did. An age's worth of wrinkles creased his face. Slicked back white hair, now slightly unkempt, did more to strengthen the feeling of oldness about the man. However, his eyes still held a sense of vitality to them, and his voice was as sharp as ever. Perhaps it was what could be expected from a life of being Batman. Terry wondered if he'd look the same when he grew old.

But it was too early to think of old age. He still had a full life ahead of him. Now Bruce, on the other hand...

He had insisted on driving himself this evening. Terry wasn't sure if that was to impress the stockholders or to reassure himself that he wasn't too old. Sometimes it seemed like Wayne felt his age and needed to do something to prove that he was still useful.

Wayne had finally looked up at what Terry was doing on the Net. "What is this?" he asked.

"I stumbled across it," Terry replied.

Wayne clicked around the web site. It was completely devoted to the old Batman. There were a few slightly blurred photos of him, records of Batman sightings, a listing of his foes, as well as links to other similar sites.

"You would not believe the number of Batman sites I found," Terry said. "One claimed to have a complete listing of all the weapons and gadgets you used. You've got quite the following."

"Shouldn't you start patrolling soon?" Wayne asked.

Terry took the hint. He knew Wayne's usual response when he didn't want to talk about something. Leaving to don the batsuit, he took a quick glance back and saw Wayne still looking at the Batman site.

* * *

It was a pretty dull night. A couple robberies, a suicide bomber, a cat up a tree, but nothing exciting or challenging. Nights like this sometimes made Terry long for some supervillain to show up.

There was just one thing that was bothering him. He turned away from where he had left the bank robbers tied up. There it was again! A dark shadow was watching him from a rooftop across the street. He had seen it several times tonight, but it would always back out of sight before he could get a good look at it.

This time, the shadow was illuminated against the moon. Terry's breath caught as it watched him for a couple more seconds and slipped out of view. Had he seen it correctly?

It had ears just like the old batsuit!

Terry decided that this was enough. He was going to find out why this shadow was following him. He activated his boot-thrusters and soared up to the rooftop.

The person was running away across the building. Terry quickly caught up, grabbed the man by the shoulder, and turned him around. Then he gasped in astonishment as he saw the man clearly in the moonlight.

He was dressed exactly as the old Batman! His face was concealed by the pointy-eared cowl. The long black cape flowed behind him. On his chest was the black bat symbol. Around his waist was the identical tool belt. In every aspect, he looked exactly like Bruce Wayne dressed in his days!

"Don't touch me, fraud," the man ordered. To emphasize the point, he swung his fist and caught Terry right in the mouth.

Terry backed off, his mind reeling. The man had sounded exactly like the old Batman, too! What was going on here?

"See you soon," the Batman look-alike said, still sounding eerily familiar. Then he pulled a batrope from his belt and swung out of sight, leaving a very confused Terry standing on the rooftop.

* * *

"I'm telling you, he was exactly like the old Batman!" Terry whispered excitedly, leaning over his lunch tray.

Max shook her head. "But how? Is it a robot clone or something?"

"We tested the batsuit recording," Terry answered. "He's a human. And the voice ID match was identical to Wayne's." He gave a little laugh. "He must have performed a thousand tests last night trying to figure out who it was. I think this really upset him."

"If you found a person who looked just like you, you'd be upset, too," Max said. "Do you suppose it's a clone?"

Terry thoughtful chewed his food. "A forty-some-year-younger clone?"

"They could have taken the cells back when Batman was in his prime and then waited for the right technology to come along," Max offered.

Terry frowned. It was possible. But something didn't seem quite right. Why would anyone wait that long? And what would somebody have to gain by making a clone of the old Batman?

* * *

That night, the bat signal was on.

"I thought the police put that in storage," Terry said as he drove the Batmobile towards the source of the signal.

"They did," Wayne responded. "Somebody broke in and stole it."

"So, this is probably a trap," Terry said.

"Undoubtedly," Wayne answered.

"Any idea what I'm going to go up against?" Terry asked.

"Sometimes the best way to find out who's behind a trap is to jump right into it," Wayne said. "Just be careful."

Terry circled around the Spencer Building. He could see the bat signal sitting on top of it. He brought the Batmobile down and got out.

"This signal used to call the great protector of the city to work," the voice exactly like Wayne's said. "But now it only draws the scum."

Terry couldn't get a fix on where the voice was coming from. I've got to keep him talking, he thought. "I protect the city as well," he said.

"But under the name of a dead man!" the voice answered.

"He's not dead!" Terry said in bewilderment.

"The real Batman has come and gone," the voice said. "He is no more."

"You're wrong," Terry said. "He's-"

"I am wrong?" the voice said incredulously. "How can I be wrong? Do you know how much time I spent studying him? How long I've toiled and labored to understand him? I bet you never did any research at all. What did you think, that you could just put on the suit and, voila, you're Batman? There's more to it than that!"

_This guy's a maniac,_ Terry thought. _He's a genuine nutcase out on some personal vendetta. But why does he sound exactly like Bruce?_

By now, Terry knew where the voice was coming from. He edged his way towards the stairs. He got a batarang ready and jumped behind them. To his surprise, he saw no one there. Instead, he bent down and picked up a speaker.

He heard footsteps behind him and threw the batarang. The Batman look-alike dodged and pushed Terry to the ground. He held Terry's arms down and glared into his face. "I seek to defend the honor of an idol of mine," he growled.

"That's nice," Terry replied. He kicked up and flung the look-alike off him. They both leapt to their feet and stared at the other.

"Who are you?" Terry asked.

"I am Batman come back from the grave," the look-alike said. "I will avenge the wrongs you have caused him."

The look-alike threw a batarang--old style, Terry realized--but Terry was able to easily dodge. He fired a batrope and swiftly tied the look-alike up. But he just smiled, took a pocket knife from his glove, and cut the rope.

"It'll take more than that to defeat the legendary Batman," the look-alike said.

"Good thing I've got more," Terry replied. He fired his boot-thrusters and launched at the look-alike. But the man jumped up at the last moment and kicked down hard, driving Terry into the roof.

Terry groaned and turned over. The look-alike grabbed his throat, pulled him up, and gave him a few punches. Terry pulled out a flash-bomb and blinded the look-alike. He let go of Terry and stumbled back, allowing Terry to get in a few hits of his own.

The Batman look-alike regained his vision soon enough to block the next couple of punches and swiftly kick Terry in the side. As Terry reacted to the blow, the look-alike punched upwards and caught Terry right under the chin. Terry slumped to the ground in a daze.

"I've been examining your fighting style," the look-alike said. "The computer program I wrote showed all of your weaknesses."

Terry said nothing, but instead activated his camouflage. He admired the old Batman's look of surprise to see him disappear.

"So," the look-alike said as Terry moved unseen behind him, "you're going to run away. The real Batman would never have done that!"

"You don't know the real Batman," Terry said, and pulled off the old Batman's mask.

The look-alike cried out and swung his fist behind him, catching Terry in the side of the head. He whacked into the stairway building, his camouflage turning off. The look-alike moved quickly to replace his mask, but Terry was able to get a quick glance of the look-alike's red hair.

_Red hair?_

He didn't have much time to think. The old Batman had recovered and was heading swiftly towards him. Terry launched up, wings spread wide, and got a batarang right in the face. It made him pause long enough for the look-alike to jump up and grab onto his legs.

Terry struggled to pull away, but the look-alike held on tight. He reached down to knock the old Batman away, but he grabbed Terry's arm and brought up his other arm with tranquilizer gun in hand. Terry had little time to react as the gun pierced his suit and administered its contents.

The world grew darker and drifted away. Terry crashed to the ground, the old Batman landing softly a short distance away. The last thing Terry saw before blacking out was the Batman look-alike slowly approaching.

* * *

Consciousness returned slowly. Terry groaned and looked around. He was still on top of the Spencer Building. There was no sign of the Batman look-alike. He looked at his wrist chronometer and saw that he had been out a couple hours. _What had happened? Why did the look-alike leave?_

Terry hopped back in the Batmobile. It was right where he'd left it, and a brief diagnostics check showed that nothing was wrong with it. _The look-alike knocks me out and then leaves,_ Terry thought, _doing no damage whatsoever. Where was the logic behind that?_

But then again, the look-alike didn't seem like the most logical person. Still, Terry couldn't help feeling like he'd missed something.

* * *

The day in school went by slowly. Terry couldn't concentrate on his work. The Batman look-alike was occupying his thoughts. He talked to Max about it during lunch, but she couldn't think of an explanation.

After school, his mother told him that she was having an out of town meeting that night and he'd have to watch Matt until she got back. She said she was sorry to interfere with his after-school job with Mr. Wayne, but she had just found out about this meeting today and hadn't been able to get a sitter on such short notice. Therefore, Terry had been stuck at home until almost midnight.

Terry impatiently waited for the bus to arrive at the stop. He had lost a lot of time tonight that could have been used tracking down this Batman look-alike. He ran up the road to Wayne Manor and rushed through the door.

"Sorry I'm late," he called. "I had to babysit my brother." He quickly moved from room to room, making his way to the Batcave. "The Batman look-alike problem has been bugging me all day. Have there been any new leads?"

There was no answer. The house was strangely quiet. In fact, it was too quiet. Terry froze when he realized that he hadn't heard Ace. The dog usually barked his head off when someone arrived. But Terry hadn't heard a sound.

Something was wrong here.

Terry rushed to the Batcave. The clock door was untouched, so no one had broken into the Batcave. Or had they? Terry leapt down the steps and took a quick survey of the room. He saw no sign of Wayne and was about to leave when he spotted a small dark shape lying next to the Batcomputer. He rushed over and saw Ace, muzzled and tied up on the floor.

Terry quickly freed the dog. He whimpered and got to his feet. "Where's Bruce, boy?" Terry asked. "Where is he?"

The dog looked towards the Batmobile access tunnel and barked. Terry walked out to the sea, but he found nothing. "Wayne!" he called, but there was no answer.

A quick search of the house revealed nothing. Terry looked in every room, every closet, anywhere that he could think the old man might be. But he came up with nothing.

Bruce Wayne was gone.


	2. Part II

**Batman: Part II  
By Cere**

Terry leaned forward in the chair before the Batcomputer, his elbows resting on the desk. Ace lay on the floor beside him. Upstairs, the police were wrapping up their search of the mansion. Commissioner Gordon was standing next to him, giving him the results of the search.

He'd always feared that someday Wayne would be kidnapped. It came with being a billionaire. However, he'd never figure it would happen this soon, and with such a disturbing lack of evidence.

"No sign of a struggle," Gordon said. "No fingerprints, no missing objects, nothing out of place. The only helpful thing we found was that his evening medication was gone. Therefore, we can assume that he was taken sometime tonight.

"Of course," Gordon added, looking around the Batcave, "they didn't search this room."

Terry sighed. He had already looked around while waiting for the police to arrive. He found nothing helpful, either. It was as if Bruce had just vanished.

The only sign of foul play was that Ace had been found tied up. Terry reached down and rubbed the dog's head. "If only you could tell us what happened," he said.

Gordon put her arm on Terry's shoulder. "I'm sorry, kid," she said, "but there's not much I can do. We'll just have to hope some leads come in from somewhere."

Terry leaned back in the chair. "I just know the look-alike got him," he said. "If only there was some way I could prove it."

"Well, there isn't," Gordon replied. "Unless you can think of something we've overlooked."

Terry stared off into space and tried to think of something. What had they overlooked? What had they forgotten to take into account?

Then he realized just where he was looking. And he knew how to find out who did it.

He sat up and started rapidly pushing buttons on the keyboard. Gordon was startled by his sudden action. "What is it?" she asked.

"Security cameras," Terry answered. "We recently installed a camera system to detect if anyone unauthorized entered the Batcave. I'd forgotten it was there. The sound pickups aren't working yet, but we should be able to get a visual. If I can just find where the program is…here we go."

Gordon leaned forward as the image of the Batcave from high up appeared on the screen. She could see herself and Terry on the screen. She looked up and tried to see where the camera was, but failed.

"It's disguised as a stalactite," Terry replied to her unspoken question. "Now, let's rewind a bit."

The image moved quickly in reverse. A few highlights caught the eye. Gordon sped backwards up the stairs, Terry searched around the Batcave, Terry tied up Ace and left the Batcave. Then there was a lot of empty Batcave footage.

Gordon briefly glanced at Terry. His eyes were fixed on the screen in an intense gaze. Gordon turned back to the rewinding image and watched the time signature turn back. It showed eleven o'clock, then ten…

There was a flurry of activity on the screen. Terry quickly stopped and started playback. He and Gordon leaned closer to the screen to see what happened.

Wayne was working on the Batcomputer. Terry noticed that he was looking at a website dedicated to the old Batman. He logged this away in the back of his mind and continued watching the video with intense interest.

On the screen, Ace became agitated. He started barking at the Batmobile access tunnel. Wayne turned and an expression of surprise crossed his face. He made a signal to Ace and the dog ran toward the intruder, but bolas flew across the screen and tied up his legs. Ace fell to the ground, still barking like mad.

A dark figure appeared. It crossed over and sprayed a gas in Ace's face, making him unconscious. Then the dark figure quickly put a muzzle on the dog.

By now, Wayne had gotten up and was approaching the intruder, wielding his cane as a weapon. He spoke some words to the intruder, and there was a short conversation between the two. Then Wayne moved to attack, and the dark figure threw a gas bomb at him, making him pass out. The intruder picked Wayne up, slung him over his shoulder, and turned to leave, spending a little time to admire the Batcave. Then he shook his head and left.

In that short time, they could clearly see the intruder, the kidnapper.

"I knew it!" Terry exclaimed.

It was the Batman look-alike.

* * *

Wayne groggily came to. His eyes were closed, and he felt no pressing reason to open them. With his ears, he observed the space around him. The only sounds were the steady hum of idle machinery and the sound of someone typing at a keyboard. Due to a slight echo he heard, it seemed like he was in a large room. Probably a warehouse, because they usually never came up with anything else.

He carefully moved his hands. As he expected, they were tied behind his back. Pulling on the ropes, he found that they were tied to something else. A further exploration using his hands showed that he was tied to a pipe running along a wall.

Finally, he decided to open his eyes. He did so slowly, and found that he was indeed in an old warehouse. Directly before him were a couple tables with various Batman-equipment on them. In another corner lay massive, curious machinery. One machine looked like a supercomputer, and another was a man-sized pod with wires and tubes connecting to it. Several large crates were at the far end of the building, and it looked like they had biohazard warnings on them. The rest of the building was empty.

Wayne groaned and got to his feet, the rope sliding up the pipe. This aroused the attention of the man working at a computer terminal. The Batman look-alike rose and crossed the room to stand face to face with Wayne.

"What do you want from me?" Wayne asked. "Money? You won't get it."

"Oh, no," the look-alike responded. "I want something more than that, something that you've taken from the greatest man in history."

"What are you talking about?" Wayne asked coldly.

"The honor of Batman!" the look-alike shouted. "He was once the most talented superhero, but now you and that boy have stained his reputation."

"You're crazy," Wayne said softly. "I'm-"

"Don't you start," the look-alike said, slapping Wayne across the face. "You rich people sicken me. Did you think that just because you have a lot of money, you can go and bring back one of the most revered crime-fighters? Nobody asked you to! Batman put away the cape and cowl twenty years ago, and we respect his decision. He deserves to rest in peace. But you seem to think that you can do whatever you want. Have you no shame?"

"You've got it all wrong," Wayne protested.

"I think not." The look-alike turned his back and walked over to a table.

"Who are you?" Wayne asked. "And what gives _you_ the right to be Batman?"

The look-alike turned and spoke solemnly. "I have not returned to take over his job of fighting crime. I am merely defending his honor." He turned back and picked something up. "I besides, I love him."

"You _love_…" Wayne trailed off in shock.

"That's enough," the look-alike said, walking back over. "It's time to bring the boy here. Then this insanity of the 'Tomorrow Knight' can be settled." He stuck the syringe of tranquilizer into Wayne's arm and watched as he drifted back into sleep.

* * *

Commissioner Gordon prepared to leave. "I'll issue a bulletin for his arrest," she said, pointing to the frozen image of the Batman look-alike. "Right now, I'll return to headquarters. Call me if you find anything else."

"I will," Terry replied, and watched her leave. He turned back to the screen and stared at the look-alike's face. Then he rubbed his eyes and turned away. How had the look-alike found the Batcave? It was possible that he knew who Batman was, but that didn't seem very likely. However, the only other way he could have found the cave was to have…

A thought struck Terry. He stood up, walked over to the Batmobile, and started searching every inch of the vehicle. He groaned when he found the bat tracer stuck to it. It must have been planted there while he was unconscious last night. He pulled it off and held it in his hand. Planting a tracer was the most basic Batman maneuver, and he had fallen for it. He threw the tracer on the ground and stomped hard on it, crushing the electronics.

A noise alerted him. Ace ran up to Terry and started barking at the Batmobile access tunnel. Terry could see a dark figure approaching. From the cape and pointed ears, he knew who it was.

"Get him," Terry ordered.

Ace ran and jumped at the look-alike. "Stupid mutt," the look-alike said, and swung his fist sideways. He hit Ace on the head and sent him crashing into a glass case.

Terry was running to put on the batsuit and felt a rope snake around his legs. He fell to the ground and turned to see the look-alike throw a gas bomb at him. He held his breath as green mist exploded around him.

"Soon it will all be over," the look-alike proclaimed. "Batman's spirit will finally go back to rest."

Terry sprang to his feet and launched himself at the Batman, taking him by surprise and knocking him to the ground. The batrope fell from his hands. "You need to see a psychiatrist," Terry said. In response, the look-alike punched him in the stomach and shoved him off.

"Look around you," Terry said. "Look at all the Batman stuff. What does that tell you?"

"Wayne was a fan of Batman," the look-alike answered. "Had he not stepped over the line, I would have liked to be his friend."

Terry shook his head. "You just don't get it."

"That's what you keep on telling me," the look-alike said.

The Batman look-alike threw a batarang at Terry's head. He tried to dodge, but his legs were still tied up and he lost his balance, tumbling to the floor. He looked up just in time to see the look-alike prepare to throw another one.

There was a gunshot. The Batman let out a yell and grabbed his left arm. Terry could see blood dripping from the wound. He looked up at the stairs and saw Gordon standing there, holding her gun steadily.

"Put your hands over your head," she ordered.

The look-alike seemed ready to comply, then suddenly pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it to the floor. Gordon shot again, but the smoke blocked her vision. The Batman ran away towards the tunnel. Terry quickly tried to untie himself, while Gordon ran past him in pursuit. However, she was too late to stop him from swinging away out of sight.

Terry finally freed himself and joined Gordon at the mouth of the tunnel. "Where'd he go?" he asked urgently.

"It's no use," Gordon replied. "He's gone now." She walked back into the cave.

Terry refused to give up. "We can't let him get away!" he protested.

"He didn't," she said, looking down at the small puddle of blood on the floor.

* * *

The Batman look-alike entered his hideout, his arm hurting like hell. No vital arteries had been hit, but it would need some attention. As he walked over to the first-aid kit, he wondered if the real Batman had ever been hurt.

He turned to look at the sleeping Wayne and cursed him for causing all this trouble. Then his thoughts turned to Commissioner Gordon. What was she doing at the Batcave? Was this evidence of a government conspiracy? His thoughts spun in circles as he dressed his wound.

* * *

Gordon carefully dabbed the small puddle of blood with a cotton swab. Then she tapped it on the glass slide, leaving a few drops of blood on it. She cautiously picked it up and inserted it into the appropriate compartment in the Batcomputer. Then she started up the DNA-ID program.

In a couple seconds, a diagram of the DNA appeared on the screen. Gordon didn't know what all the colors and labels meant, but she didn't have to. Instead, she plugged the DNA sequence into the DNA database search program. Then she sat back and waited for what happened.

"If he's from the US," she told Terry, "we'll find a match."

"He'd have to be," Terry replied. "In fact, if he loves Batman this much, he'd probably live around Gotham."

"Probably," Gordon said as the computer beeped. She turned to the screen and widened her eyes in surprise.

"No match?" Terry asked in disbelief.

"No match," she repeated.

"But I thought everyone had to register their DNA."

"They do," Gordon replied, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"So how come this guy isn't in the database?"

"He could have sneaked into the country illegally," Gordon speculated.

"But he couldn't get a job without ID."

"Then he doesn't have a job."

"Where would he find a place to live?"

"A homeless shelter, maybe?"

Terry shook his head. "How could a homeless guy make his own batsuit?"

Gordon frowned. "Maybe he's working with somebody."

Gordon's phone rang. She took it out and put it to her ear. "Gordon here…you don't say…I'll be right there." She ended the call, put the phone back in her pocket, and immediately started to leave.

"Who was that?" Terry asked.

"Police headquarters," Gordon answered. "They got an anonymous call giving information on where to find Kobra tonight. If this is true, then we may have a big break on stopping their operations."

"Good luck," Terry said as she quickly left the Batcave.

He sat down in the chair and looked up at the computer screen. The DNA lead had gone flat. What else could he try?

He groaned and rubbed his eyes. He had to look at the facts. A guy wearing an exact replica of the old batsuit and wielding the same old bat-weapons bursts onto the scene raving about how Terry was wrong and the old Batman was rolling over in his grave or something. His DNA is not in the database, suggesting that he's a homeless immigrant who's evaded the system. However, a homeless man would never get the money to make a batsuit replica, suggesting that someone else must have built it for him.

Terry frowned. Something was bothering him. He couldn't put his finger on it. He sighed and sat back in his chair. Okay, the facts again: a guy wearing an exact replica of the old batsuit…

Terry paused. How did he get an exact replica anyway? It would take detailed knowledge of Batman, and there wasn't anyplace you could go to look that up. No, wait! There was!

Terry's fingers flew across the keyboard as he accessed the Net and started looking around through the old Batman sites. He knew it was here somewhere…aha!

He sat back and looked at the site. There it was: _"Complete listing of all Batman weapons and tools."_ He excitedly clicked through the list. There were pictures of every Bat-weapon he could think of, all from the personal collection of the operator of the website. Here was enough information to outfit your own Batman.

Except that there wasn't enough. As Terry thought about it, he realized that these were only pictures. The more complicated devices, like the electronic lock-scrambler, couldn't be built from pictures alone. You would need to have diagrams and blueprints to do that. There wasn't complete enough information here.

Then another thought hit him. _There were pictures_…that meant that whoever this was had actually had the devices in his possession. From there you could take them apart and build copies.

This meant that the Batman look-alike probably had some connection with whoever was running this website.

Terry excitedly started the Net-trace program to see who maintained that website. A profile for a Robert Mullins came up on the screen. Terry quickly glanced at it. Mullins was forty-five years old, unmarried and had no kids. He had graduated from Gotham University in the top five of his class. Until recently, he had worked his whole career as a computer programmer at Gotham Computer Solutions. Terry was pleased to see that Mullins lived in Gotham City. That would make him easy to check up on.

This was the only major lead he had. Terry quickly jumped out of his chair and ran to put on his batsuit.

* * *

The Batmobile landed on the roof of Gotham Apartment Complex #17. It seemed like a respectable place, not like some slums he'd seen. Terry downloaded building schematics into his suit visor and exited the Batmobile. He clung to the building and followed the holographic image of the building projected on his eyes to locate room 12B.

The window was dark. Terry turned on his camouflage and peeked inside. He could see the empty bedroom, the bed neatly made. There was no light on inside. Terry pressed his finger-mikes against the glass and got no reading. The apartment was empty and silent, perfect for searching.

Terry opened the window and entered the apartment. All was quiet inside. Terry turned off his camouflage and took a step, then stopped short. "Whoa," he said as he looked around. The walls were covered with pictures and newsclippings, all about the old Batman! Terry glanced at them as he walked along. There were photographs, newspaper headlines, and even a couple artists' renderings of the Dark Knight. This place was an old Batman museum!

There was just one picture of somebody other than Batman. There was a framed picture on the dresser. Terry picked it up and looked at it. It showed a man in his forties, with very red hair. _This must be Mullins,_ Terry thought.

Terry moved on into the kitchen. The pictures didn't even stop here. Every available surface was dedicated to Batman. "This guy had a serious obsession about Bruce," Terry commented to himself. He opened the fridge and found that it was empty. All the cupboards were bare, too. Somebody had cleaned this place out.

Terry was about to move on when a sound alerted him. It sounded like the front door was opening. Terry quickly turned his camouflage back on and went to see who it was.

It was dark in the living room. Terry couldn't make out who it was, but he seemed to be searching for something. The man was quickly moving along the walls, checking all the photos, ripping some off to get a better look, then tossing them to the floor.

Then he moved into the moonlight from the window, and Terry saw clearly who it was.

It was a member of Kobra.


	3. Part III

**Batman: Part III  
By Cere**

Commissioner Gordon returned to her office and sank into her chair. It had been a long night. A look at her clock told her that it was almost three in the morning. She should probably go home and get some sleep, but the problems from the night were nagging her.

She had just come back from the raid on Kobra. It had not gone as well as she would have wanted. The police had broken into a warehouse and had found a large group of Kobras, apparently waiting to meet someone. They had also been heavily armed. A fierce firefight had ensued, and several of her officers had been injured. The majority of the Kobras had escaped, but the police had managed to take a couple prisoners. Hopefully some information could be gotten from them.

The whole affair seemed a lot like a setup, which Gordon had suspected, but there were a few discrepancies. The Kobras had seemed surprised and angry when the police had shown up. And she thought she had heard someone talking about being double-crossed. So the question was, who was Kobra meeting?

Gordon rubbed her temples. That was just one of many questions. The others involved Bruce Wayne. He had been kidnapped that night by a crazed Batman look-alike and there was no clue of where they had gone.

Barbara had seen the man in person, and the resemblance to Wayne was disturbing. Also disturbing was the fact that his DNA was not registered in the DNA database. Most people had registered, for safety reasons. If you were attacked or kidnapped, any residual blood or organic tissue would be helpful evidence. Also, many hospitals had it set up that your DNA sequence, taken from a simple blood test, could link to a database that contained your entire medical history, especially useful in cases where you were unconscious or couldn't respond. Most importantly, certain risk factors for diseases could be found early and appropriate measures taken. The only people who didn't register either didn't care or didn't want to be found. Gordon suspected the latter.

Another possibility struck her. Perhaps the DNA sequence they had retrieved was a defective sample. It was possible that the DNA retrieval had taken an incorrect reading. She pushed some keys on her chair computer and brought up the DNA sequence copy that she had mailed herself. Some more keys, and she ran an integrity scan on the DNA sequence, a test that checked for the condition of the DNA sequence. A curious report appeared on the screen.

_"No central integrity damage detected. Non-central structural damage detected in sequence sectors AF46H2KKZ, HF67B12SW, ..."_ and a list of several incomprehensible sector names. Gordon sighed. She needed an expert on this.

"Valerie," Gordon said on the intercom to her secretary, "I'm going to see Rick."

* * *

Terry stayed quiet as the member of Kobra moved around Robert Mullins's apartment. His camouflage hiding him from view, he followed closely behind as the Kobra searched around the living room. He thought of beating the guy up, but he wanted to find what the Kobra was looking for first.

They went through the living room, the kitchen, and the bedroom. The Kobra grew increasingly angry as he went along, finding nothing that seemed to satisfy him. The last room they searched was completely bare, and the Kobra let out a soft growl of frustration. As the Kobra turned to leave, Terry noticed a Net jack on the wall. _There used to be a computer in here,_ Terry realized. _Mullins really cleared out._

The Kobra was hurrying to leave. "I'm not finished with you," Terry whispered.

Right before the Kobra reached the door, strong hands grabbed his shoulders and flung him back against the wall. He slumped to the floor and looked up to see Batman appear in the middle of the room. He pulled a gun and tried to shoot, but Batman had anticipated him and a batarang knocked the weapon from his hands.

Terry ran across the room, grabbed the Kobra by the front of his snake suit, lifted him in the air and slammed him against the wall. "What are you doing here?" Terry asked threateningly.

"Why should I answer to you?" the Kobra responded firmly.

Terry reached over and opened the window. Then he swung the Kobra and dangled him outside the window. He glanced nervously at the ground far below.

"Tell me," Terry demanded.

A weak smile crossed the Kobra's face. "You wouldn't."

Terry smiled broadly back and let go. The Kobra screamed as he plummeted down. Terry waited a short while and shot a batrope after him. The rope wrapped around his legs and yanked him to a stop.

Terry slowly pulled him back up and again held him dangling. "I might miss next time," he said.

The Kobra let out a whimper. "The guy owes us payment," he said.

"Payment for what?" Terry demanded, shaking him.

"We pulled some high-tech machinery for him," the Kobra explained. "A very big job. He was going to pay us tonight, but instead he double-crossed us. Now we're going to make him pay. Nobody double-crosses Kobra and lives."

"I bet," Terry said. He pulled a batrope from his belt and started tying the Kobra's hands together.

"Hey, what are you doing?" the Kobra protested.

"Sorry to leave you hanging," Terry said as he attached the other end of the rope to the windowsill, "but I have to go." The Kobra yelled in anger as the Batmobile screamed away.

* * *

Gordon entered Rick Chang's office and saw that he was luckily still in. "How's it going, Rick?" Gordon asked.

Chang looked up from his work. "Fine, Barbara," he responded. Rick Chang specialized in "subject identification from evidence." This meant that he was the Gotham Police expert on fingerprints, organic remnant ID, and DNA.

"I've got a sequence I want you to look at," Gordon said. "It won't take long."

"Sure thing," Chang said. He took the disk from Gordon, rolled his chair over to his computer and inserted the disk.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Gordon said apologetically.

Chang looked over to where a scanner hung over a knife. "That's for the Grimsey case," he said. "I've got to extract some blood samples. But I'm always glad to spare some time for those who need it."

A complex diagram of the DNA sequence appeared on the screen. Chang didn't seem at all confused by the strange symbols and labels. "So, what do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Check sequence integrity," Gordon replied.

"Okay," Chang said. He pushed a few buttons and watched results show on the screen. "Sequence looks fine," he reported. "It's not defective. However…" His voice trailed off and he frowned. "That's curious."

"What is it?" Gordon asked, leaning forward.

"It shows non-central damage in certain areas," he answered, "areas related to physical appearance, muscle buildup, and voice." He leaned back and scratched his head. "It almost looks genetically modified."

"Spliced?" Gordon asked curiously.

"Oh, no," Chang said quickly. He turned to face Gordon. "Splicing is caused by a mutagenic substance introduced into the body. It spreads and melds with the DNA, causing a combination of human and animal features. An antidote will destroy the mutagen and return the DNA to normal."

He gestured back to the screen. "This is actual DNA rearranging. Parts of the DNA are pulled out and replaced. The technique is very new, and it still leaves small structural damage where the DNA is patched up again."

"I think I've heard of it," Gordon said. "There are only a few such machines in the world."

Chang nodded. "And I believe I heard that one of them was stolen recently."

Gordon straightened up and nodded. "Thank you for your time," she said.

Chang ejected the disk and handed it to her. "Don't mention it," he said.

Gordon turned and left. _That explains why the Batman look-alike is identical to Bruce,_ she thought, _and also why the his modified sequence didn't show up in the database. The only question is, who is this guy and where is he?_

* * *

_Where is he?_ Terry wondered. He figured that if he found Mullins he'd find the look-alike, but that was easier said than done. He had to find someone who'd know where Mullins would be hiding. Perhaps a coworker could tell him who Mullins's friends are.

Terry landed at the house of Andrew Mitchell. He found the window to the bedroom open and climbed in. Mitchell was snoring softly. He was alone in his bed. Terry felt kind of sorry to wake the guy, but this was important.

"Andrew Mitchell," Terry called.

He turned over in his bed and opened his eyes with a groan. Then he cried out and shot up with a start.

"It's okay," Terry said soothingly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"What are you doing here?" asked Mitchell, still hysterical.

"I just want to ask you some questions about Robert Mullins," Terry answered.

That seemed to calm Mitchell down. He wiped his hand across his forehead and tried to calm his breathing. "Robert? Why? Is he in any trouble?"

_If you only knew._ "He might be," Terry replied. "I need to find him before somebody else does."

"It's that serious?" he asked. Terry nodded his head. Mitchell shrugged. "Then aside from his home I don't know where he could be."

"Would someone else know?" Terry asked. "Any close friends?"

Mitchell shook his head. "He was never close to anybody." The quizzical look on Terry's face told him to continue. "Come," he said. "I need a drink of water."

In the kitchen, Mitchell held a glass of cool water up to his lips. He noticed Terry staring at him and put the glass down. "I didn't know Robert very well," he started. "He was the quiet guy who just did his job and didn't ask for much recognition. I felt a little sympathetic for the guy."

Terry nodded his head.

"I learned a little bit about his background," Mitchell continued. "He studied genetics extensively in college. Was very good at it, too. He tried to get a job at AmGen, but a more ambitious man got the job. He was forced to fall back on his computer skills and he joined Gotham Comp. He worked there for almost twenty years. Until he was fired about a week ago."

This perked Terry's interest. "Why?"

"He loved Batman," Mitchell answered. He gave a small chuckle. "I mean, he practically worshipped the guy! It was about the only thing you could get him to talk about in public.

"Anyway, our boss, Davis, had a less favorable opinion of Batman. He put up with it, since Robert was such a good worker, but when those files were discovered on Robert's computer, it finally blew his top. He claimed that Robert was using valuable company resources for irrelevant personal use and fired him right away."

"What files?"

Mitchell shook his head and looked down at his glass. "It sounds crazy, but he had been planning out how to modify his DNA so he'd be exactly like Batman." He laughed softly and looked back up. "Isn't that just the-"

He stopped. Batman was gone. "Hmph," Mitchell said, taking another drink from his glass. "Kind of rude."

* * *

The Batmobile shot through the air, the new revelation turning in Terry's mind. Robert Mullins _was_ the look-alike. And the high-tech machinery that Kobra had stolen for him was probably a genetic modifier of some kind. The pieces were all coming together.

The only problem was how to find out where the hell Mullins was.

Terry glanced down and noticed that Gordon had called and left a message while he had been talking to Mitchell. He pressed a button and Gordon's face appeared on the screen.

"New developments," she said. "An analysis of the DNA sample shows signs of genetic tampering. Not splicing, but something newer called genetic recombination. A genetic recombinator was stolen recently, with Kobra as prime suspects.

"The raid on Kobra tonight was unsuccessful. They were armed and put up quite a fight. Most of them got away. We did manage to take a few prisoners, so we may be able to get some information about the recombinator heist.

"The anonymous phone call that informed us about Kobra had a voice ID check done on it. Says the speaker was 'Bruce Wayne'. A trace on the call led to a pay phone in the warehouse sector.

"Be sure to tell me if you find out anything more."

Terry froze as the message ended. A lot of that merely confirmed what he already knew, but the comment about tracing was sticking in his mind. There was something important there…

Then he realized what it was. He remembered that Mullins had taken the computer from his apartment. This meant that he still had it with him, and probably used it to maintain his website. If that was the case, then he could trace the access calls and find out where he was hiding!

Terry quickly activated the tracer program and entered the web address. A list came on the screen showing all the access calls to that web server. Most of them came from Mullins's apartment, but the last couple were from an address in the warehouse district.

"Got him!" Terry exclaimed.

* * *

Terry arrived at the warehouse and landed on the roof. He silently opened a window and dropped inside. It was very dark and quiet. Terry could see the moonlight glinting off of strange machinery. He heard breathing and headed towards the sound.

He found Wayne asleep, tied to a pipe. Terry ran over and shook him awake. Wayne blinked and then looked up at Terry's face. An expression of relief crossed his face, and he let out a sigh.

"Thank goodness you're here," Wayne said. "The guy is starting to get on my nerves."

"It's okay," Terry said. "I'll get you out of here."

Suddenly, the lights blazed to life. Terry grimaced and covered his eyes against the harsh brightness. Something hit him in the side and he slid across the floor. Gradually, his eyes adjusted and he saw Mullins, the Batman look-alike, standing over him.

"And I thought I was going to have to go out and find you," the look-alike said. "How nice of you to come to me."

"Let's finish this," Terry said.

The two quickly started trading blows. Back and forth, they attacked. One particularly vicious punch sent Terry reeling into a table, knocking it over. Batman-equipment scattered across the floor. Terry leapt back into battle.

A batarang slid towards Bruce, stopping a few feet away. He saw his opportunity and stretched his legs to try to grab it. If he could get the batarang, he could cut the ropes and free himself.

Terry and Mullins had reached a deadlock. Both had grabbed each other's wrists and were trying to push the other over. "It's useless," said the look-alike. "I have the spirit of Batman on my side."

"Shut up, Mullins," Terry said, and kicked him in the chest while letting go.

He soared across the room and into the advanced machinery. "I am not Robert Mullins anymore," he said while picking himself up. "I am more than that now. I am Batman."

"It takes more than changing your appearance and voice to be Batman," Terry argued.

"Like you'd know anything about that," Mullins retorted.

"We do," Wayne said, standing free of his bindings. Mullins turned towards him and the batarang that Wayne had already thrown hit him in the back of the head. The distraction allowed Terry to run forward and snap batcuffs around Mullins's wrists.

"I won't be defeated that easily," Mullins exclaimed as he kicked Terry square in the chest. Terry fell away as Bruce threw another batarang at Mullins. He dodged and charged towards Bruce. Bruce stepped aside at the last second and stretched out his foot, tripping Mullins into the wall. Terry quickly came over and tied up his legs.

Mullins growled and pulled at his restraints. "It's no use," Terry said. "You'll only waste your energy."

Mullins grumbled but stopped struggling. "You haven't won yet," he protested. "Many other supporters of the original Batman will-"

Wayne rushed forward with a growl of rage. He picked Mullins up roughly and glared into his eyes. He spoke with as much emphasis as he could put into every word.

_"I WAS THE ORIGINAL BATMAN!"_

Mullins slowly shook his head, an expression of shock and disbelief on his face. Wayne rattled his shoulders. "Listen to your voice!" he commanded. "It sounds exactly like mine!"

"That's-" Mullins started to say, but stopped when he heard the sound of his voice. He began to cry as he realized that Bruce was right.

Wayne let go and let Mullins slump to the ground. "All this time," Mullins sobbed, "it was you?"

"I tried to tell you," Wayne said softly.

"Then the boy…?"

"I'm too old to be Batman anymore," Wayne replied. "I'm training him to work in my absence."

Mullins wiped his eyes on Wayne's pants. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked.

Wayne was at a loss to think of an answer.

Gradually, they calmed Mullins down. They unbound him and sat down in some chairs, Mullins between Terry and Bruce. He had taken off his hood, exposing his red hair. "The only aspect of Batman I didn't know," he commented.

"How did you know so much about Batman?" Terry asked.

"My brother," Mullins answered. "Zach grew up during the time when you were at your peak. It was his stories of Batman that got me so interested in you. The two of us became crazy about you."

"Why?"

"Because of what you stood for!" Mullins exclaimed. "You were power, you were strength, you were perseverance! Every day in school that I was picked on by bullies, I thought about how you would handle the situation and make them stop. If only I could be like you, I could be somebody.

"After high school, Zach and I became avid collectors of Batman-media. We gathered newspaper clippings, eyewitness accounts, pictures, an occasional sound clip, whatever we could find. Once, we got some home-video footage from a person who had amazingly been there one time you'd fought the Joker. My expertise in computer programming allowed us to analyze your fighting style and try to emulate it."

Mullins sighed. "If only he could be here now. He died from a rare lung disease twelve years ago. However, in his will he left me the greatest treasure of all: your belt!"

"My what?" Wayne asked in surprise.

"Your belt," Mullins repeated. "Many years ago, he had visited a fight scene after the police had been there and found your belt lying among the wreckage. He hid it away and told nobody about it, not even me. Only after his death did it surface again. From it, I was able to learn many things about you and the tools you used.

"Also, in his will he left me this piece of property," Mullins added, indicating the warehouse. "He had acquired it cheap and dreamed of turning it into a Batman headquarters. His dream has finally been realized."

Terry and Bruce were quiet. "That was an amazing story," Bruce finally said, breaking the silence. "But you haven't explained how you came to be like me."

"I studied genetics heavily in college," Mullins said. "I used that knowledge to work your characteristics into my genetic code." He pointed to the machinery behind him. "All I had to do was wait for the technology to come around to carry out my plan."

"Where did you get that machinery anyway?" Bruce asked.

Mullins looked away and didn't answer. Terry chimed in. "He got them from Kobra."

"Kobra!" Bruce exclaimed. Mullins bowed his head. "How could someone who believed so much in Batman work with such criminals?!"

"It had to be done," Mullins protested. "There was no other way. Besides, it all worked out in the end."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"He set them up," Terry said.

Mullins nodded. "I gave them part of the payment--my life's savings--and promised to pay the rest later. I think they assumed that I'd steal the rest of the money for them. Anyway, I called the police to raid our meeting place and give them their just rewards."

"Except that it didn't work," Terry commented.

A worried look crossed Mullins's face. "What do you mean?"

"They were armed," Terry explained. "They fought with the police and got away."

The fear spread to Wayne's face. He stood up and looked around nervously. "Terry, how did you find us?"

Terry didn't get a chance to answer. A large explosion rocked the warehouse and the front wall blew open. Kobras hurried inside and started firing at the three Batmen. Wayne fell to the floor as Terry and Mullins tossed out smoke bombs. Thick smoke filled the air, but the Kobras kept firing.

Terry and Mullins crouched near Bruce. "What do we do?" Terry asked.

"Take him and leave," Mullins said, pointing to Wayne.

"What will you do?" Terry asked.

"I'll stall them," Mullins answered, turning to run towards the attackers.

"You don't have to do this," Wayne said.

Mullins said nothing, but ran out into the smoke.

Terry pulled Wayne to his feet and directed him to the back door. "Go," he said. "I'll help Mullins."

"Terry!" Wayne called, but Terry had already disappeared into the smoke.

Terry and Mullins spread out in the cloud of smoke, taking out any Kobras they found. However, more kept coming. The onslaught of gunfire continued.

Terry heard someone behind him and started to strike, but saw that it was Mullins. "What are you doing here?" Mullins asked.

"You can't do this by yourself," Terry insisted.

"Where's Bruce?" Mullins asked.

They both looked and saw Bruce hobbling towards the exit. Just then, a stray shot hit a ceiling beam. It broke away and fell towards Bruce.

"No!" Terry and Mullins both shouted. Terry fired his boot-thrusters and pushed Bruce away before the beam fell on his own legs. Terry struggled, but the heavy beam trapped his legs down. A shot hit the ground next to him. _This is not good._

A dark shape flew over him. Terry looked up and saw Mullins throw a bomb batarang at the ceiling above the Kobras, causing much debris to fall down. There were frightened shouts and the firing lessened.

Mullins reached down and pulled on the fallen beam with all his might. Terry helped, too, and soon he was able to slip his legs away. As they set the beam back down, a thought ran through Terry's head. _An hour ago this man would have killed me, and now he just saved my life._

And then another thought. _I'd do the same for him._

There wasn't much time to think, though. The firing was starting again, and some of them came dangerously close to Terry's head. He turned and saw Mullins lift Bruce up. He whispered something in Bruce's ear, and he whispered something back.

Mullins turned to Terry. "Take him out of here," Mullins ordered.

"I can't leave you here," Terry said.

"I'll make the building collapse on them," Mullins said. He noticed the shocked expression on Terry's face. "I'll get out, don't worry. Now go!"

Terry hesitated a second, then solemnly nodded. He draped Bruce's arm over his shoulder and carefully led him out of the building as Mullins turned back to the Kobras.

He looked around at the ceiling and noted the main supports that would have to go. Then he grabbed some bomb batarangs from his belt and started throwing them. His many years of practice paid off and every one hit their mark. The building started to shudder as it was suddenly unable to handle the load weighing upon it.

Mullins waited for a moment and relished hearing the startled cries of the Kobras. He had turned to leave when a shot hit him on the arm where he had been shot earlier that night. He cried out as pain rushed through his arm. Another shot hit his leg and he collapsed on the ground.

He lay on his back and watched the ceiling crumble above him. A smile crossed his face as he realized that his actions would help Batman escape unharmed. He had saved someone's life. Batman would have been proud of him.

There was a great noise as the debris crashed all around him.

And then silence.

* * *

Dawn came. It brightened the outside world, but this brightness was not seen nor felt in the Batcave. Bruce was resting in his chair next to the Batcomputer, while Terry was putting his batsuit away.

Terry walked back over to Bruce and noticed his slightly ragged breathing. The exertions of the night had worn him out greatly. Terry had heard him calling and canceling several meetings that morning. He would need all the rest he could get.

"So," said Terry as he stopped next to Bruce's chair, "do you suppose he made it out alive?"

Wayne pointed to the screen. It was the morning newscast. The blue face of the newscaster was imposed on the scene of the collapsed warehouse. "No one knows what the cause of the collapse was," he said, "but police suspect it had something to do with the terrorist-cult Kobra, many members of whom were found buried among the wreckage."

The camera zoomed in and showed rescue workers dragging a body from the rubble. The body was wearing a tattered Batman costume.

"Also found was this man," the newscaster continued. "His identity is unknown, but police have promised to determine who he is and what his possible connection to Kobra is."

"I talked to Barbara," Wayne said. "I explained the whole situation to her. She's promised that Mullins's identity will remain a secret."

Terry bowed his head. "So he died to save us."

Wayne turned to look at him. "It's what he would have wanted."

They were both silent. The only sound was the bats as they flew through the cave. Finally, Terry spoke up.

"What was it that you told Mullins before we left?" he asked.

Wayne was quiet for a moment. "Don't you have school to go to?" he finally responded.

Terry sighed and left. _Why did I expect an answer to such a personal question?_ he wondered as he walked up the stairs. Then he heard Bruce's voice.

"I told him how proud I was of him."

Terry turned back and looked at the silent form of Bruce Wayne. _Thank you, old man,_ he thought. Then he left.

* * *

At school, Terry noticed a great crowd around Chelsea. She seemed very excited about something. He turned and saw Dana next to him. "What's with her?" he asked.

"She got tickets to the Tygers concert next week," she replied.

"The Tygers?" Terry asked. "The group that she loves and adores above all else?"

"That's the one," Dana said. She turned towards Chelsea and shook her head. "Can you believe how obsessed people can become with their idols?"

Dana didn't wait for an answer, but walked off to her first class. Terry stood silently for a moment. _Actually, I can._


End file.
